


The Screening Process

by butterfly_gARDEN



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: BAMF Lucifer, Gen, Graphic Description
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:36:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25274026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterfly_gARDEN/pseuds/butterfly_gARDEN
Summary: One of Lucifer's main responsibilities in Hell is to screen new arrivals. One day, the screening process results in a major upheaval in Lucifer's day.
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Trixie Espinoza & Lucifer Morningstar
Comments: 36
Kudos: 185
Collections: One shots from Lucifer





	The Screening Process

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains a graphic description of violence at the hands of a serial killer. It also describes a child being severely injured in a car accident. I used the "graphic" warning for the car accident, but I didn't go into any graphic details at all-for MY sake. I do not wish to conjure up any emotional difficulties for any reader. If this might be traumatizing for you, please don't read my story.

It wasn’t Azrael’s fault, and Lucifer would never blame her. Never. As with all the angels, she had a specific protocol to follow. If the soul felt guilty enough, she took them directly to Hell. That was it, that was the job. Oh, there were specific exceptions, of course, markers on the souls that the Angel of Death could detect. For example, sociopaths and psychopaths, who felt no remorse for their actions, were easily recognized by the angel, and rarely went to the Silver City for their eternal reward. Azrael was no fool, and as her older brother, Lucifer had once quipped, she was “no peach”, either. Regardless of the numerous protests the depraved souls might offer, she left them where they were supposed to be. Although she appeared childlike in appearance, she was extremely adept at her job, keenly intelligent.

However, from time to time, mistakes were made, hence the need for the screening process for all new arrivals. After all, this was where the souls would reside for all eternity. Mistakes were costly. As Lord of Hell, Lucifer actively participated in the screening process, along with a few trusted demons. These demons were highly trained, highly skilled, and obedient to Hell’s protocols, as well. If there were any doubt about where a soul should actually reside, Lucifer had the final say. One demon had failed to follow the protocol once, and had paid the ultimate price. The current roster of demons knew better.

Lucifer opened the door to the first cell, and took a few moments to study the Hell loop. A young man sat at the bedside in what was clearly a room in a hospital ICU. The machinery that, Lucifer knew from sad personal experience, would usually be beeping and flashing frenetically was eerily silent, the bed’s occupant clearly deceased. The young man wept openly in the silence of the room.

Lucifer cleared his throat, “Son, you do not belong here.”

The young man raised his head, studying Lucifer for a moment. “No, I really do! If I hadn’t come out to him, he wouldn’t have died. It was the shock of what I told him. I killed him. I killed my father.”

“How would coming out have killed him?” Lucifer asked, knowing full well what the answer would be. _Dear Dad, why couldn’t these humans just accept each other?_

“He was furious with me. He called me a sinner, an aberration-an ABOMINATION. He TOLD me I was going to Hell. Then, he said I was no longer his son,” the young man sobbed. “I got him all worked up and he had a massive heart attack. He died because of ME. Because of what I said. So I paid penance. I hanged myself. Now, no one has to put up with me any more. I won’t kill anyone ever again.”

“Son, listen to me carefully,” said Lucifer, “Your sexual orientation did NOT kill your father, nor did you coming out to him. Your father was over 300 pounds. He had diabetes and did nothing to control the condition. He had high blood pressure but he wouldn’t take care of himself. He smoked like a chimney, drank like a fish, and ate Big Macs with large orders of fries for a ‘light snack’.”

“Your father was going to die last week, even if you were straight, married with three kids in the yard, and lived in a house with a white picket fence. He was going to die. If anything, your FATHER should be here instead of you, for rejecting you in such a despicable manner. The sin rests on your father, NOT you. The guilt is not yours. Free yourself.”

“Really? Do you really mean it?” the young man looked incredulous.

“Of course I do,” Lucifer replied. “I never lie, point of pride with me.”

“Look, see that door?” continued Lucifer, “It isn’t locked. You can leave any time you want. Go. Go where you deserve to be. Contrary to what THAT particular ‘Christian’,” he sneered the word, “church believes, my Father does NOT. Hate. ‘Fags’. [air quotes] He made you in His image. You are a child of His. Go, be at peace.”

The young man walked tentatively toward the door, not fully believing what Lucifer said, and turned the handle. To his astonishment, the door opened easily, and he walked out. Immediately, a brilliant white light cut through the darkness of Hell, and the young man disappeared.

“Well, THAT was easy,” said Lucifer, to no one in particular. “What’s next?”

He opened the next door mid-loop, and discovered a pile of dead bodies on the floor, all women. The women were naked, their wrists and ankles bound behind them with duct tape. Each woman had her throat cut, each staring blankly, the life having been drained out of them. One woman was still alive, screaming in terror as the cell’s occupant was in the process of ending her life. _Desiree Montefort_ , Lucifer thought to himself, looking at the poor woman. Immediately, he knew who the occupant was.

“Oh, Davey,” Lucifer purred, “We have been a busy boy, haven’t we?”

“I was doing the Lord’s work,” he wailed, “I was cleaning up the city, but they EXECUTED me. They EXECUTED me for doing the right thing. I don’t belong here; I was doing good works!”

“Wrong answer, Davey,” Lucifer continued, “My stepbrother broke bread with such women, forgave them, told them to ‘go forth and sin no more’, he never once incited ANYONE to end these women’s lives-he prevented it. I don’t know what ‘Lord’ you claim to serve, but you are not my Father’s emissary, to be sure.”

“What I did was an act of valor! The work I did was honorable. These women polluted our streets. They were just prostitu-”

“Bye!” said Lucifer, slamming the door.

The demon in charge of the loop was standing at attention at the door. Lucifer looked at him and jerked his head to the left, indicating that the demon should follow him.

“Sire?” said the demon, worriedly, thinking he had done something wrong.

“Let’s ramp this loop up, shall we?” replied Lucifer. “Requisition more demons. Let’s add the victims’ families and friends to the loop. Have them watch that vile miscreant, jeer him, beat him every time he murders each one of these women. Let him know that what he did was NOT an ‘act of valor’. Let it run that way for a while, then we’ll reevaluate, see if we need to slice him up a bit.”

The demon smiled at Lucifer before bowing, “As you wish, my King.” _Ohhhhhh boy! This was gonna be fu-un!_

Lucifer decided to take a quick break, walking over to one of his favorite Hell loops. Sliding back the window in the door, he watched wordlessly as a man raised his hands over his head, holding a huge stone. He brought the stone down on the head of another man, lying barely conscious at his feet. _Ahhhhh, Piercey, having fun are we?_ Lucifer thought to himself. Although Cain, aka Marcus Pierce, no doubt expected Lucifer to visit him frequently to taunt him, Lucifer treated him the same way he treated religious zealot Fr. Kinley, who was ultimately responsible for the deaths of three people; he refused to interact with them at all. True, they had hurt Lucifer terribly. Fr. Kinley had gone so far as to turn Lucifer’s Beloved against him briefly. But Lucifer felt that not acknowledging them at all was far more fitting. By ignoring them, he was showing them that they were so meaningless, so insignificant that they weren’t worth his time. And by doing that, they had no power over the Lord of Hell.

This was the new Lucifer. This was the Lucifer who returned to Hell after an almost ten-year hiatus on earth. He had observed and interacted with humans, and had learned a thing or two, mostly at the hands of his beloved Detective, Chloe Decker. Chloe, who saw the good in everyone, who used words instead of bullets, who forgave Lucifer for his faults and flaws repeatedly, even after he had hurt her so deeply. Because of her, Lucifer had worked hard to become a better man. When he was forced to return to Hell, he had done so selflessly, on HIS terms, to protect her, her daughter, and everyone he cared about.

The old Lucifer would have been difficult to pry away from the cells of these two men with a Hell-forged crowbar. He would have spent decades at a time maliciously taunting them, even participating in their loops, just to personally torment them. Now, he had no desire to do so. Let the demons do the job. It was good enough for him.

Lucifer watched Pierce’s Hell loop up until the establishment of the Sinnerman network, back in the Prohibition era. Several thousand years of Cain’s murder and mayhem, for Lucifer, was his personal version of binge watching Netflix, more intriguing than Game of Thrones if he were truly honest about it, but there was work to do. Ain’t no rest for the wicked…

Lucifer’s hand was on the next door handle when one of his screeners approached him. “My Lord,” the demon said, bowing, “I have a loop that requires your personal attention. It is beyond my judgement.”

“What is it, then?” asked Lucifer.

“Apologies, My Lord,” said the demon, “Forgive what may appear to be insolence on my part, but it would be better for you to see it for yourself.”

“Very well,” Lucifer sighed, with a twinge of annoyance. “Lead on.”

The old Lucifer would have reduced the demon to ashes in anger because of his mild insolence, but the new Lucifer prevailed. Besides, who had time to train a new screener, anyway?

The demon escorted Lucifer to the freshly hewn cell. Lucifer opened the door and began to scrutinize the Hell loop of the newcomer. A young being, probably a child, seated on a bicycle...a car, accelerating out of a side street into traffic, striking the child...the child, airborne, before landing across the street on the hood of a nearby parked car and sliding down onto the pavement below,...the paramedics doing the two-person removal of the bike helmet because the victim’s breathing was compromised...the face, battered and bruised revealed...Trixie Espinosa!

A wave of nausea hit Lucifer and he leaned back against the wall for support as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He didn’t dare show weakness. He had only just recently quelled the demon rebellion; he couldn’t afford to show any emotional vulnerability, only strength. Taking a calming breath, Lucifer stepped forward to address the newcomer.

“Child, why are you here?”

“Lucifer!” Trixie ran forward, embracing him. Lucifer risked placing his hand on her head, hoping that any wayward demon would see the motion as his feeble attempt to remove the child from his leg.

Lucifer said again, “Child, why are you here?”

“I disobeyed Mommy. I wanted to ride my bike to Alicia’s house, but Mommy said no because it was too far and it was on a dangerous road. She said I could ride to the park right by our apartment, though. But I decided to go to Alicia’s house instead. If I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t have been hit by the car-OW! Why do they keep pushing on my chest? It really hurts!” With that, Trixie began crying.

Trixie was in a great deal of pain, but that pain inspired hope in Lucifer. They were doing CPR. There was hope, if he could just get her to go back.

“Child, you are not to blame for this. Yes, you shouldn’t have been there, but the accident was NOT your fault. This is not your guilt to bear. The guilty party is the “gentleman” who ran the stoplight going Dad knows how many miles an hour, and didn’t even stop after he hit you. I promise you, I will punish him for harming you. But the guilt is his, not yours. Please,...return to your mother.”

“If you go back, they’ll stop pushing on your chest, I promise. They’re only trying to save your life. Don’t do this to your mother, I beg of you. Go back.”

As he was speaking to her, Trixie’s Hell loop reset. Lucifer watched with consternation as the loop played out. The loop, with its distorted facts and warped truths, began with Trixie, chronically misbehaving until the point that her parents gave up in disgust and ended their marriage, then followed through at the main office at her school. The school staff was begging Trixie not to go with Malcolm Graham because he was a stranger, but she went willingly because he was a cop. Then to Lucifer’s horror, he watched as Malcolm gave the child his gun, and she shot Lucifer point blank. Now, Chloe was seated at the breakfast bar with a checkbook, weeping. Every time she wrote out a bill, Trixie would grab all the money and run away with it. Then finally, the car accident.

“Child, what you are seeing is not the truth. What you are looking at is what your guilt is telling you happened. You are not responsible for your parents’ divorce, your are DEFINITELY not responsible for Malcolm. The guilt is on him and him alone. Do you understand? All these things that you feel bad about, and what you did today does not merit eternal damnation. Please...return to Chlo-return to your parents.”

What Lucifer didn’t say to Trixie was that he knew how devastated Dan and Chloe would be to lose their only child. Chloe would never get over the loss. Every one that Chloe loved either died or left her. He couldn’t allow her to lose her child, too; he knew for a fact that it would most likely destroy her.

“She’ll take my bike away,” said Trixie, sadly.

“Child, after that accident, you don’t have a bike anymore.”

True enough, Lucifer and Trixie were watching that section of her Hell loop again. Another wave of nausea hit Lucifer as he watched Trixie sail through the air and hit the parked car, the bike ending up in bent, mangled pieces on the ground.

“I can’t go back, Lucife-OW!,” Trixie said, sadly, “Mommy’s going to be really mad. She’ll probably ground me.”

“Child, whatever discipline your mother has in store for you, it is nothing like remaining here in Hell. She has ALWAYS been fair with you. I cannot say the same for Hell. Hell will destroy you, and there is NOTHING that I can do to stop it. It is beyond my power to intervene. You are a good soul. You have your mother’s goodness in you. Please, you must go back.”

Trixie sat there, clutching her tiny chest, looking at Lucifer.

“Child, you must learn to evaluate. Do you know what ‘evaluate’ means?”

“I get report cards, Lucifer.”

“Ah, yes, of course. You need to develop the skill to sit back and evaluate your actions. You need to learn to figure out what is actually your fault, and what isn’t. It’s a technique that you’ll need to get through life. Otherwise, you’ll take on guilt that doesn’t belong to you. You can’t take on the guilt of other people, Child. It will change you, and not for the better. Taking other people’s guilt will cause you to lash out, will make you angry. You’ll become a monster, and I’m speaking from experience. I don’t want that for you. You’re a child, and this is a skill that will take many, many years to develop. I am trying to give you those years, Beatrice. I don’t ever want to see you caught in a Hell loop ever again, do you understand? You just broke my heart.”

“I’m sorry, Lucifer, I didn’t mean to make you sad. I’ll do better, I promise. I’ll go back, and I’ll learn to...evaluate. For you.”

“Thank you, Child,” he said, gathering her in his arms, not caring if demons observed him or not. “Just please...don’t ever do this to me again.”

“I won’t, Lucifer, I promise.”

Lucifer opened Trixie’s door. As he and Trixie stepped through, the same brilliant white light that he’d seen earlier pierced the dark corridor and enveloped Trixie, taking her away.

Lucifer addressed the demon standing outside the door. “You have done well, Screener. You and your family will be rewarded accordingly.”

The demon bowed, “Thank you, sire.”

Lucifer beckoned one of the messenger demons. “Inform the paymaster that this screener is to receive a bonus in his wages. Failure to comply with this order will be...frowned upon.”

The messenger paled visibly, but bowed to his king and soon was on his way.

The sudden whooshing sound behind him stopped Lucifer in his tracks, and he turned around to face... Amenadiel?

“Go, Brother, Chloe needs you,” Amenadiel said without any form of greeting whatsoever, but with a clear sense of urgency in his voice.

“Brother,” said Lucifer, “that would be impossible. You know damn well that-”

Amenadiel interrupted him, “Go, Brother. She needs you. She still mourns you, Brother, she’s faced horrific hardships in your absence, and her only child is critically injured. Only you can help her, Luci. Please,...do this for HER.”

Lucifer, nodded. For HER, he would do anything. Any. Thing. For HER, he had forfeited his life...twice. For HER, he had jumped in front of an axe, knowing full well that it could have killed him, because she made him vulnerable. For HER, he would leave control of Hell to his brother and go to her aid.

Lucifer pointed his thumb at a door behind him. “Intentional overdose. She went out on a girls’ night with her friends, got roofied, raped, and her boyfriend left her because of that. Do something about that, will you?”

“You got it, Luci.”

“Oh, and that one?” he said, pointing to the next door over, “Intentionally set one of the Australian wildfires, several firefighters were killed trying to combat the blaze. Open and shut case, I believe the Detective would say.” Lucifer embraced his brother, then without another word, he left Hell, stopping at his long-forsaken penthouse only long enough for a quick shower and a change of clothes.

******

“WE’VE GOT PULSES!”

“Give her that last dose of Epi and get her to the O.R. stat!” commanded the lead trauma doctor to his team.

“Epi, 1 milligram, given at sixteen twenty-seven,” answered a nurse.

And just like that, Trixie was wheeled away.

******

Lucifer quietly manifested himself in a dark corner of the hallway, and walked softly through the pediatric ICU before going into Trixie’s room. He gently hung his jacket on the hook on the door, and approached the bed. There was no reaction from Chloe as he crouched down next to her. Her body was there, physically, but her mind was far away. Dan, he noted, was nowhere to be seen. Called out on a case, maybe, or sent home to rest, who knew? Cautiously, he reached over and covered both her and Trixie’s hand with his own, curling his fingers around both of them.

The physical contact jarred Chloe, and she quickly looked down. Long, graceful fingers were encircling her hand, with a familiar onyx ring capturing the light from the panel above Trixie’s head. Chloe quickly looked over, finding Lucifer crouched next to her, with a loving smile on his face.

“Detective,” he said quietly.

Chloe put her head down on his shoulder and wept openly, with his hand pressing her head against him. She wept for his loss in her life, for the empty months leading up to this moment, for her daughter, for the frightening moments when she thought she was going to lose Trixie, for the fear that she was going to be alone for the rest of her life. Her sobbing was the only sound in the room with the exception of the monitors punctuating the sounds of her tears.

When she had no more tears to shed, her first thoughts were not about herself, of course.

“Lucifer, you can’t possibly be comfortable squatting on the floor like that. Oh God-look what I did to your shirt!”

Lucifer simply laughed and went to retrieve a chair. Chloe being Chloe. How he had missed her. He pulled the chair up to where he had been squatting before, then curled his hand around the two hands on the bed again pulling Chloe close to him with his other arm.

“Detective,” he began, but Chloe had fallen asleep the minute her head had hit his shoulder. He smiled to himself, and resumed Chloe’s vigil at Trixie’s bedside.

******

“Lucifer!” Trixie squealed when she finally woke up midmorning, her voice immediately waking up her mother.

“Trixie! Oh, Monkey, I was so scared. How are you feeling, Baby? Are you in pain?” Chloe leaned over to hug her daughter and plant a kiss on her forehead.

“No, my head just hurts a little. I’m sorry, Mommy. I shouldn’t have disobeyed you like that.” Tears filled the little girl’s eyes. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Oh, Monkey,” the tears in Chloe’s eyes matched those of her daughter, “I’m just glad you’re talking to me. I thought we lost you.”

Trixie opened her mouth to say something, then looked over at Lucifer. He frowned at her and vehemently shook his head no. Trixie nodded and looked back at her mother.

After a moment, Trixie asked, “Am I grounded?”

“No, Baby, I think you’ve been punished enough. I’m sure you’ll never do that again.”

“I won’t, Mommy, I promise.”

At that moment, a nurse walked in to check Trixie’s vital signs, assuring everyone that the surgeon would be by shortly to check up on her. Trixie had survived the first night. If she continued to show improvement, she would be moved into a regular room.

“Good,” Trixie said, “I’m starving! Can I have chocolate cake for breakfast?”

The question produced laughter by both Lucifer and Chloe-after one of her ubiquitous eye rolls, of course. The nurse, however, gently informed her that she couldn’t get anything to eat until after the doctor had examined her, and even if she COULD eat, it would be something very light. Trixie’s face fell, but she understood. The reason behind an adult saying, “No” to her had been rather forcefully impressed on her by the events that landed her in the hospital.

A few minutes later, Dan arrived. To Lucifer’s astonishment, Dan shook his hand and slapped his arm quite cordially. Taking to Chloe aside, they began a hushed conversation.

“No, Dan, don’t. I mean it. This will by on MY terms, do you understand? MY terms,” she said in a voice louder than she had intended.

“But Chlo-”

“No! Stay out of it, Dan.”

“Chloe-”

“You don’t OWN ME, Dan,” Chloe hissed, “I’m not your wife, and I’m not your kid. Stay. Out. Of. My. Business. I’LL handle this,” she glared, intimidatingly.

“Fine,” he said, resignedly.

Eventually, Lucifer and Chloe stepped out of the room to allow Dan time with his daughter. Hand in hand, Lucifer guided Chloe into the elevator and towards the coffee shop in the lobby, where he bought them each a coffee, and a lemon bar for Chloe.

He took a good look at her now, sitting in front of her. He had no idea how long it had been since he had left her weeping on his balcony the night he returned to Hell; time in Hell ran differently than here on earth, after all. Amenadiel had told him she hadn’t dealt well with his absence, but he had hoped that she would have moved on and found happiness. Sadly, that hadn’t been the case. She had lost an incredible amount of weight. Her beautiful skin, once a golden brown, kissed by the California sun, was now visibly pale, making her beautiful, now sunken, blue green eyes look so much larger, by comparison. Oh Dad, had she even been sleeping? She looked so tiny in her loose, flowing peasant dress, waif-like, nineteenth century writers would have described her.

 _Sad-eyed Lady of the Lowlands_ , Lucifer thought to himself. It had to be one of the most enigmatic songs that dullard, Bob Dylan, had ever written. Lucifer could never make head or tails of the lyrics, whether he was high or sober, but that one line from the refrain was Chloe, right now. Funny, usually _Sweet Child of Mine_ was his Chloe song, one of many, truth be told, but not now. Well,...actually, he’d filled up an entire Ipod with Chloe songs, but that was neither here nor there.

“Detective, are you well?” he asked quietly, after a few moments.

“Mmmm, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine, Lucifer.”

“Detective,” he said sighed sadly, “You’re lying to me. Please...don’t go down that road with me, again.”

Chloe’s eyes lowered. “I’m fine, Lucifer,...physically. It’s just-it’s just been a long day, you know?”

“You didn’t drop an inordinate amount of weight overnight, Detective. What’s going on?”

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. “ You know,...life. Life is really, really hard sometimes. I’m fine, Lucifer. Trixie is the one we should be worried about right now.”

“Detective, I-”

“Look, Lucifer, I really don’t want to talk about it any more, okay?” she said, sharply.

Lucifer looked her over thoughtfully. No, something wasn’t right, but he decided against pushing the issue any further. He’d just gotten back; he didn’t want to do anything to stress Chloe out any more, so he chose a different topic.

Taking a breath, he said, softly, “I heard them, you know.”

Chloe finally looked up at him. “Heard them?”

“Your prayers. I heard every one of them. _Good night, Lucifer, I love you. Stay strong, I believe in yo-_ ” his voice cracked, and he looked away so she wouldn’t see him blinking tears away. “No one has ever believed in me before. Your prayers sustained me, Detective, they kept me focused on what I had to do. For that, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” He reached across the table and took her hand.

Chloe stared at him, tears welling up in her own eyes. She gently squeezed his hand before saying, “I meant every word, you know. I love you. That will never change.”

Lucifer was brushing his thumb across the top of Chloe’s hand. “I missed you so much. And I missed our partnership.” He looked at her, “Have they assigned you a new partner, yet?”

Chloe stiffened, quite visibly. “I haven’t been to work, Lucifer. I haven’t been allowed to.”

“What? Detective! Whatever do you mean by that? Not allowed to,” he scoffed.

That’s when he saw the look of pain in her eyes. The look of anguish on his face matched hers. “What happened, Detective?” he asked, voice almost breaking.

“I’ve-I’ve been on unpaid administration leave since about two weeks after you left. It seems,…” she took a breath, her eyes remained fixed on the table, “It seems, I’m a person of interest in your disappearance.”

“WHAT?”

“Lucifer, please, lower your voice; we’re in a coffee shop.”

“Apologies, Detective...what?”

“I explained to the lieutenant that there was a family emergency, that you wouldn’t be coming back, and-” she took a shaky breath, “The next thing I know, I’m in an interrogation room being asked questions about you, about our relationship,...everything.” “My fingerprints and my DNA were all over the penthouse, of course, as were yours and Maze’s. No blood, no trace evidence of any misdoings, but I was the last person to see you.”

“And then, your attorneys came to see Maze and me about the distribution of your assets that you requested they make, and that raised further suspicion. Whoever is handling the case had read the property transfers in the paper, so even though there’s only extremely flimsy circumstantial evidence, I’m considered a killer-and a pariah. Again.”

“Detective, surely Maze was able to-”

“Maze was let go. According to their ‘evidence’…” she spat the word out, Maze is under suspicion as my accomplice.”

“Detective, this doesn’t sound right. I thought there were disciplinary guidelines the LAPD follows. Surely, this is excessive. At the very least, you should have been on PAID leave. I own a business, Love. I’m aware of labor law. It’s one of the few pieces of legislation I can truly respect.”

“It’s a gray area, Lucifer. It’s up to the discretion of the lieutenants and the chief. But it makes sense, you know? I was up for Sargent, but so was Det. Pearson. I scored higher than he did on the exam, my close rate is much higher. So, it would be convenient if something were to happen to me. And look,...they get rid of the Palmetto Bitch and the Sinnerman’s whore all in one swoop,” she said bitterly.

“At least, I left you financially comfortable enough that you could pay your bills,” he said, sadly.

Chloe shook her head. “I’ve been...I’ve been living off my savings, Lucifer. I didn’t dare touch anything of yours. If I did, whoever’s behind this would have interpreted it as motive-that Maze and I killed you for your money.”

Lucifer nodded, heartbroken. He could understand why she didn’t use the gift he had left her, but it had cost her dearly.

Chloe continued, “I don’t have much. I spent a big chunk of it when I took Trixie to Europe last year. I mean, obviously I didn’t know this was going to happen. But, I kept Trixie fed. I found a part time job cleaning offices, so I’ve kept a roof over her head, but it hasn’t been easy. There’ve been some months where I’ve just taken out my checkbook and cried.”

 _Trixie’s Hell loop_ Lucifer thought to himself. THAT’S where the guilt came from. THIS was what Amenadiel was talking about when he told Lucifer that Chloe was experiencing hardship. She not only was grieving a personal loss, but her department had kicked her when she was down, besmirching her reputation and foisting guilt on her that she didn’t deserve. And worse, and unworthy man had benefited from her situation, taking a promotion that was rightfully hers.

Fury began to build up inside the Lord of Hell. “I am going to tear them limb from BLOODY LIMB.”

“Lucifer,” Chloe hissed.

“Oh,” Lucifer replied, looking around. People had stopped what they were doing at his outburst and had begun staring at them, but when Lucifer began looking around the room, brown eyes with a hint of flame behind them, they nervously went back to what they were doing.

After a moment, he said, “Detective, you are the strongest person I’ve ever met. You went through all this hardship by yourself. As always. Your tenacity, your perseverence, are truly inspirational.” Sighing, he continued, “All this time I was in Hell, you were, too.” His respect and admiration for her were clearly showing on his face, except for his eyes. His eyes showed pure heartache.

Chloe had begun to tear up. The stress of everything, the crisis with her daughter, it suddenly became too much. And Lucifer was saying she was strong? Didn’t he see the frightened little girl sitting across the table from him? Was she really that talented an actress? How did he not see?

Drawing her hand across the table, he held it between both of his, “Let me help you, Detective, please. I have resources, I have contacts, I can help you research who’s responsible. Let me do this for you.”

Chloe nodded. She had always been fiercely proud, fiercely independent. She had made it in a man’s world as a single mother. But now, she was broken. “Okay,” she said softly, “Okay. Because right now, I don’t know if I can do it any more. I tried so hard for Trixie’s sake. I didn’t want her to know how bad everything was.”

Lucifer winced. He knew that his detective had failed in this endeavor, that her child was inordinately perceptive. No. No, he was not going to tell her about her daughter’s Hell loop unless the topic came up. Yes, he was keenly aware that he was falling into an old unhealthy line of behavior-not lying, but not telling the truth-but the detective had too much stress on her right now. He was not going to break her heart or her spirit into any more pieces. If the subject ever came up, he would tell her the truth, but not now. Now, he was granting her the dignity of believing that she had spared her child.

“I know you did,” was all he said.

Eventually, Lucifer cleared his throat, “Let me make some phone calls, Detective.” After heaving a satisfied sigh, he continued, “Ahhhh! I haven’t had a decent case to work on for a while.” He smiled at her, “This feels just right.”

Chloe’s eyes narrowed, “Lucifer, promise me you won’t go to the precinct. Not yet. Please, Lucifer, promise me.”

“Detective you have my word. I won’t go to the precinct,...yet.” There was a determined look to his features, now. “Besides, you and I need to...investigate.”

For the first time in months, Chloe Jane Decker was able to smile. Oh, how Lucifer had missed that smile! Her love and her smile were the only things that had kept him going while he was in Hell. Instantly, he smiled back at her, then stood up to clear the table, so they could return to Trixie’s room. Everything was going to be okay.

******

Chloe walked back into Trixie’s room and found that Maze had stopped in. Maze had been at the hospital the day before, of course, along with Linda and Amenadiel, but had left after Trixie had been transferred to her room. Today, she was back with Chloe’s laptop and some clean clothes for her.

“Decker! Killed anyone today?” she asked, bitterly.

“No. You?” Chloe replied.

“Not yet, but whoever did this to Trix…,” Maze continued, “will kinda wished I had.”

With that, Maze handed Chloe her laptop. It was worth a try, but of course, Chloe’s password and sign-in information didn’t work. Dan, however, was another story, and soon, the three of them were hunched over the laptop while Trixie slept, watching traffic cam footage of the intersection where Trixie had been hit.

As usual, Chloe was as stoic as ever. Years of being a homicide detective in a major urban area had cultivated her detached demeanor. Events within the department that caused her colleagues to distrust-even hate her-had forced her to erect emotional walls that few were permitted to breach. Personal heartache after personal heartache had reinforced those walls, and very few people had access to her true emotional being. This is not to say that Chloe was a robot, but she was extremely guarded. But today, as she watched her only child get struck, watched her tiny body get launched across the street into another car, then fall to the ground, the dam broke, and she barely suppressed a scream.

“Gimme a flashdrive! I got the son of a bitch...DAN!” Maze shouted, shoving Dan in the shoulder.

Dan had been sitting next to Maze, his head in his hand, willing himself not to cry after what he’d just seen happen to his daughter. Wordlessly, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a flashdrive.

“There!” Maze pointed. She quickly wrote down the license plate and downloaded the footage onto the flashdrive.

Dan logged onto the police/DMV site and accessed the plate information. Fortunately, it had not been reported stolen. Quickly, Maze got up and grabbed her duffle bag.

“ ‘Scuse me. Gotta bitch to bag.”

“Maze! I appreciate the effort, but you don’t work for the LAPD right now,” said Dan.

“Your point?” her smile was absolutely evil.

Lucifer had rejoined the group by then. “Mazie! Save us some bones to break.”

“No promises,” she snapped back.

Maze walked halfway through the door, then turned around quickly. “Lucifer!”

Lucifer turned around to face her, just as she kicked him. Her stiletto boot came in direct contact with his crotch.

“Bloody Hell!” he gasped from his hunch-over position on the floor.

“That’s for going to Hell and leaving me behind, Dick!” she scoffed, then turned at walked away.

“Hey man, that’s...wow. Sure glad it wasn’t me,” said Dan grimacing in sympathy.

“She’s done worse,” panted Lucifer, as he slowly got up and walked hunched over to the nearest chair.

He and Chloe began to work over her computer, with Dan providing appropriate log-ins, where needed.

“Detective,” Lucifer said, at one point, “Do you have an attorney?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she answered, “Brad Wheeler, believe it or not.”

“Brad Wheeler? Of Richards and Wheeler?” asked Lucifer, “How on earth were you able to afford HIM?”

“Legal Aid,” replied Chloe. “He told me something very interesting. He said that Charlotte had come to see him shortly before she died. He said she was acting bizarrely, and he kicked her out because she was upsetting a client he was talking to. But after she was killed, he started thinking about what she’d said to him, and it occurred to him that he needed to make some changes in his life, so he began taking on pro bono cases for Legal Aid. It was just luck of the draw for me, actually. He just got assigned to my case.”

 _No it wasn’t luck, Dear. Dear Mr. Wheeler CHOSE your case_ , Lucifer said to himself.

“Reeeeally,” Lucifer purred, “How very fortuitous for you, Dear Detective. Has he reported this to the Labor Board?”

“He said he was going to report it to a bunch of different agencies, why?”

“Just trying to figure out where to start,” Lucifer answered.

******

“We need Ella on the DL,” said Chloe, after they had discovered various “complaints” and “negative reviews” in Chloe’s personnel file. Attorney Wheeler had dropped off a copy of Chloe’s file after numerous legal barricades had been thrown up.

_“Are you telling me that legally, you don’t have access to your personnel file? I can assure you, as a business owner, my employees are allowed access to their files, as long as they put in a request in writing,” Lucifer had told her._

_“It’s another labor law broken,” Attorney Wheeler had agreed. “All these barricades are not looking good for the LAPD.”_

“Dan,” could you ask Ella to look into this?” Find out when all these were generated? Text her from your personal phone, ‘cause, you know…” Chloe said to her ex husband.

“Yeah, yeah, Chlo-, sure thing,” answered Dan, grabbing his phone. She wouldn’t let him go to the precinct on her behalf, but she was grateful for his help in the investigation.

“What’s a DL, Mommy?” said a tiny voice from the bed.

“Hey, Monkey, how’re you feeling?” asked Chloe, immediately going to her daughter’s side.

“I’m okay,” she answered. “My head still hurts a little, and so does my tummy.”

“Awww, Baby, I’m so sorry. Do you want me to call the nurse? They can give you some medicine for the pain.”

The little girl nodded. She kept so much to herself, usually, so Chloe knew instantly that she felt much worse than she was letting on. Chloe pressed the call button and waited with her child. After the nurse had been apprised of the situation and had given the appropriate medication, Chloe sat with Trixie, stroking her hair out of her face. Trixie, with a severe concussion (thank God for bike helmets!), and minus her spleen, had a long road to recovery ahead of her. The broken ribs didn’t make breathing any easier for her, either. Nevertheless, she looked at her mother.

“DL?” she asked.

“Down Low, Monkey” said her father. “We need Ms Ella to help us with your Mom’s work situation, but she needs to be sneaky about it.”

“Why?” asked Trixie, wide-eyed, “Is it against the law?”

“No, not at all,” answered Chloe, quickly. “Not at all, Monkey. We just don’t know what is going on at the precinct right now. We don’t want to put Ms Ella in danger, okay?”

Trixie nodded.

Lucifer had stepped out of the room, still making mysterious phone calls. He walked back in just as Dan’s phone pinged.

“Wow!” exclaimed Dan, his eyes widening, “Check THIS out."

Chloe and Lucifer checked out Dan’s phone, then looked at each other, mouths agape.

“Dan! Send that to this number,” Chloe said, showing him Attorney Wheeler’s business card.

“Yes, and send it to MY phone, too,” said Lucifer. “I can print it out from Lux’s office.”

“Done and done,” said Dan. “Now what?”

“Now,” said Lucifer, “we wait.”

******

Lucifer stepped into Trixie’s room just as Chloe had stepped out of the bathroom after a quick shower and change of clothes.

“Apologies, Detective, I didn’t realize that your little urchin had been moved.”

“Yes, Trixie’s condition improved so much that they moved her to a regular room. I didn’t know you were coming so early. I would have texted you.”

“No matter, Detective, I’m here, now. Since Daniel is here with the child, what do you say we go for a drive?”

“Lucifer! My daughter is still in the hospital. My place is-”

“With me, as we go to administer some of that justice you are so fond of.”

“Lucifer,” Chloe said quietly, “What did you do?”

“Nothing yet,” he smirked, “but I’m going to. Shall we?”

She didn’t know why, but she took Lucifer’s arm and, after kissing her daughter, Chloe left the hospital with Lucifer. It turned out that their destination was the precinct.

Once they were parked in the garage, Chloe turned to Lucifer and said, “Lucifer, I don’t know what you’re planning, but let me do the talking.”

“No.”

“NO?” she said indignantly. “NO?”

Lucifer stepped toward Chloe, reached over, and brushed her hair away from her face. Smiling gently, he said, “No. Today, I will do the talking. You will stand at my side and stare at them.”

“Them?”

“The dullards who are trying to ruin you. Please, Detective, trust me. Let me help you get what you deserve.”

“I-”

“Please.”

The look on his face was intense. Chloe had to admit, she was nervous, but this was her partner, the man who always had her back. The man who had proved himself more loyal than any other person in her life. Besides, at this point, what did she have to lose?

She took a breath, “Okay. If nothing else, I know I can trust YOU...okay,” she nodded. “Okay.”

Lucifer escorted Chloe to a larger conference room amidst the stares and whispers of her coworkers. There, they met up with Attorney Wheeler. As they sat on one side of the long table, Lt. Thomas Sharpe, Sgt. Jason Thorne, and Detective Daniel Pearson from Homicide, Officer Rachel Turner, and finally, Chief Landry himself filed in. Instinctively, the officers sat across from them. Lucifer stood up, and with a nod, indicated that Chloe and Attorney Wheeler should do the same. Chloe stood next to Lucifer and, as directed earlier, proceeded to stare at the other officers in the room.

“Hello, Traitors,” Lucifer began, with a sneer.

 _Oh God, I’m trusting my career to a man who’s using Hercule Poirot as a role model_ , Chloe thought.

“I am here on behalf of my partner, Detective Chloe Decker. Joining us today is Detective Decker’s attorney, Bradford Wheeler, although I’m sure most of you are well acquainted with him by now, by reputation, if nothing else.”

Lt. Sharpe spoke up, “An attorney, Chloe? Is this absolutely necessary? I mean, you haven’t even had your disciplinary hearing, yet. And seeing as Mr. Morningstar is back, I’m sure things can go back to normal.”

Chloe stared down at him.

“I haven’t finished speaking, LieuTENant,” Lucifer said tersely, “and no. Things certainly can NOT go back to normal. You see, a grave injustice has committed, hasn’t it, and it simply cannot be allowed to continue.”

“Detective Decker was placed on unpaid leave for almost six months, leaving her to starve and unable to pay her bills, pending investigation-an investigation I’ve just learned that has made no progress, because no officer was assigned to the case. And yet, Detective Decker was not permitted to come back to work. How EVER, did THAT happen.”

“How, indeed!" By now, Lucifer was pacing slowly back and forth in front of the officers. “Well, I did a little investigation of my own, because it seemed to me, that there was more going on than just a routine investigation into a disappearance. And do you know what I found out, LieuTENant? I found that in Detective Decker’s absence, someone had been filling her employee file with very damning paperwork, making her look substandard. How very coincidental, seeing as she had just passed her sargent’s exam and had applied for the position. For some reason, an exemplary employee with an impressive close record, suddenly looked like the epitome of a corrupt cop,” Lucifer popped the “p” in “cop”.

“So now, the question became, ‘why’?” he continued. “Why would someone go to all that trouble to ruin the reputation of one of the finest detectives in the entire LAPD? Someone who has shown nothing but dedication to her work, someone who spends hours of her time dotting her “i’s” and crossing her “t’s” to ensure that justice is served. Why would the department go out of its way to thwart the career goals of an upstanding officer who has received dozens of awards for her work, and earned an almost perfect score on her sargent’s exam. Unless...it was a flagrant effort to put a more undeserving officer in the position.”

“That raises the next question,” he said, “why would anyone knowingly violate Dad knows how many labor laws to promote a less deserving candidate. The stakes must certainly be worth it.”

“And guess what I learned? That YOU, LieuTENant transferred here under the wire. You did not go through the vigorous vetting process that has been in place since the Marcus Pierce debacle. You were simply hired on by Chief Landry, in an overt disregard of the rules. Were you even aware of this transfer, Glenn?”

Horrified, all eyes turned toward the chair at the end of the table closest to the door. Unbeknownst to all of them, the Commissioner himself had let himself into the conference room and had seated himself in the chair closest to the door.

“Nope,” he said, “Somehow, that fact got obscured...somehow…” he glared at Chief Landry.

“Wait,...you’re friends with the Commissioner?” Lt. Sharpe asked.

“Yes, of course. I run a business with a liquor license. And regardless of what you choose to believe, I take great pains to run a VERY ABOVE BOARD business with a liquor license. Of course I know the Commissioner. Most of my colleagues in the nightclub business are at least casual acquaintances of his. Besides, who do you think gives him all the Batman paraphernalia in his office?”

The officers stared at Lucifer blankly. With a huff of frustration, Lucifer said, “His last name is Gordon. DO keep up.”

“At any rate,” Lucifer continued, “THAT raised yet another question. Why would the Precinct Chief risk disciplinary action and allow the transfer of an unvetted lieutenant? Either he’s in cahoots, or his wallet is being lined, am I right?”

Chief Landry shot out of his chair so fast he knocked it over. “You have a lot of nerve, Morningstar. If you think I’m going to sit here and listen to this-”

“Oh, Landie,” Lucifer purred, “I think you are,” as the Commissioner stood up and faced the Chief down.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” said Lucifer, “Why, indeed, would the Precinct Chief violate protocol? Well, why indeed. Commissioner Gordon decided to do a little auditing, and guess what he found? Your bank account is very happy with you, Chief Landry.”

“Now. Why would the Precinct Chief decide to subordinate himself so unethically to a mere Lieutenant unless there were far reaching implications?”

“As it turns out, the implications were VERY far reaching, weren’t they, Lt. Thomas Sharpe-or should I say, Gary Whitman, lieutenant for the Seattle branch of the Sinnerman network? Yes, the last section of the Sinnerman network that the F.B.I. is still actively working on bringing down.”

Sharpe got up suddenly and ran for the door. When he opened it, he was greeted by two burly gentlemen in dark suits who graciously escorted him back to his seat and stood behind him, intimidatingly. Their name tags clearly identified them as F.B.I. agents.

“Sgt. Thorne, are you quite well?” asked Lucifer, suddenly, “You’re looking rather pale. Not a becoming color for Ricky “The Punisher” Jackson, hitman for the Seattle Sinnerman network. What happened Ricky? Run out of longshoreman to murder? Anyway, no matter, there’s plenty of F.B.I. agents present. You’ll get your own escort, just like LieuTENant Sharpe. Don’t worry, Dear.”

A man was standing outside the door looking in the glass side panel. Lucifer nodded his head, and two more F.B.I. agents walked in and stood behind Jackson.

“So, the lingering question remains, why did Detective Pearson get promoted over Detective Decker? How would a doddering sod with a woefully low close rate who barely passed the sargent's exam get chosen? Would it be because in all likelihood, he would look the other way when shady things were going down? Because he wouldn’t pose a threat as the Sinnerman network attempted to reestablish itself? I think the answer is yes, don’t you, Chief Landry?”

“And all these defamatory write ups in Detective Decker’s file. The “criteria” [Lucifer made air quotes] that Chief Landry used to base his decision on for who to promote, while the Detective was starving to death on unpaid leave. Dearie me, how did that happen?” Lucifer smirked. “It seems that, although they had different dates on them, a forensic analysis of the precinct computer files, run by Ella Lopez, determined that they were all generated on the same day, in sequence, from the same computer. That computer happened to be YOURS, Lieutenant Sharpe.”

“Let me enlighten you, Sharpie,” said Lucifer, leaning over the table and looking directly at the officer, “If nothing else, Marcus Pierce was brilliant at what he did. Brilliant!,...which is why his organization was so well hidden, for so many years. His crimes were virtually untraceable. He never flagrantly violated any laws. Pierce would never have been so stupid as to outwardly violate as many labor laws as you have. His computer skills were such that he could have generated anything and avoided detection. In fact, his trail would have all but disappeared. Poof! Gone, for all eternity. His people infiltrated this precinct so subtly that it took the powers that be forever to determine which officers were his network employees. You don’t even have half his skills or a third of his intelligence, which is why you never rose through the ranks into his inner circle, isn’t that true, Sharpie? Pierce KNEW you didn’t have it in you. You, sir, are a cheap knock off, like the “Versace” handbags you buy from a street vendor. You just proved that you don’t have what it takes to run a pencil sharpener.”

“It doesn’t matter, though,” grinned Sharpe. “There was only one opening for sargent, and the promotion was already offered to Pearson.”

“True,” replied Lucifer, “except that the Commissioner has the right to add positions as the need arises, first of all. And secondly, since Sgt. Thorne is going to be otherwise occupied, there is, in fact an opening for a second sargent.”

“Yeah, well,...the only OFFICIAL opening is for a desk sargent-”

“Which will be perfect for Detective Pearson. Given his intelligence and lack of motivation, I believe Desk Sargent would be the perfect spot for him, wouldn’t you say? He can’t possibly do too much damage as a Desk Sargent.” Lucifer looked at the Commissioner, who nodded, smiling. “Which would leave a position open in the field.”

However,…” Lucifer said, after a pause, “There’s one other part of this debacle that we haven’t covered, yet.” “Why was Detective Decker under investigation for my disappearance?” he asked looking directly at Officer Rachel Turner, “Why was the Detective’s explanation not accepted? Because clearly, I’m not very dead at all.”

Officer Turner began crying, softly.

“Lieutenant Sharpe encouraged you to file a report against Detective Decker, didn’t he, my dear?” She nodded, sobbing. “What did he offer you, Officer?” Lucifer purred softly, “A chance for advancement?” She nodded. “Maybe make detective without putting in the required number of years?” She nodded again, sobbing even louder. “Maybe TAKE DETECTIVE DECKER’S POSITION?” he asked firmly, glaring at her. She nodded again.

Officer Turner looked at Chloe and opened her mouth to say something, but was greeted by a wordless, stone cold stare. Very quickly, she looked down at the table.

Lucifer leaned on the table with both hands and stared at her. “Let me explain to you about Detective Decker’s approach to casework, OffiSORE,” he sneered. “Detective Decker looks at ALL the evidence. She NEVER-and I repeat-NEVER looks at one small detail and jumps to a conclusion. If she did that, more of her suspects would released on technicalities-IF she even arrested the right people. She would never look at a disappearance that had no forensic evidence pointing to foul play, and jump to the conclusion that the gentleman in question hadn’t, in fact, left due to a family emergency. She would NEVER wantonly accuse another human being of a crime without any evidence in play. The most she would have done-,” Lucifer glared, “The MOST she would have done, was bring someone in for questioning, but ONLY if there was enough evidence to even REMOTELY suggest that a crime had been committed. Per. Protocol. YOU-” he pointed a finger at her, “not only didn’t go ‘by the book’, YOU threw the book out the window. What this shows me, OffiSORE, is that you clearly lack the insight to BE a detective. You quite obviously lack the necessary skills, and your knowledge of procedural law is, well, how do we phrase it...hmm…clearly you slept through that class at the Academy, yes?”

Lucifer resumed his pacing, “Do you remember the first time you met the Detective, OffiSORE Turner?...because I do.” She continued to sob. “The detective and I arrived on the scene of an extremely brutal murder of a gentleman who had been eviscerated. Your wimp of a partner was outside losing the remains of his coffee and donuts, and you were left to guard the body...per protocol, yes?” She nodded. “When Detective Decker and I arrived on scene, she was nothing but kind to you, was she not? She distracted you away from the horrific sight, by asking you questions about your initial scene survey. How did the apartment look to you when you first made entry, did anything look out of place, was there anyone acting suspiciously. She gave you words of encouragement, affirmed everything you did right. She even assisted you with your paperwork that day, yes? Did she not also make you aware of the services available to officers involved in critical incidents?” Officer Turner continued to sob as she nodded her head in affirmation.

“She showed you great kindness-and empathy-and THIS is how you say ‘thank you’? By betraying her? By implicating her in a crime that she ABSOLUTELY did not commit? So YOU, personally, could advance and TAKE HER JOB? HER SOURCE OF REVENUE? The position that PUTS FOOD IN HER YOUNG DAUGHTER’S STOMACH AND KEEPS A ROOF OVER HER HEAD? And do you really think Lieutenant Sharpe has ANY loyalty to YOU?” Lucifer laughed diabolically, “He’ll throw you away the minute you are of no use to him, anymore. Isn’t that right, LieuTENant Sharpe?”

Lieutenant Sharpe looked at Lucifer, defiantly. He allowed his gaze to wander over to Chloe, who stared back at him, coldly. He quickly lowered his eyes again.

Lucifer continued, “I bought you coffee, OffiSORE Turner. I bought pastries for the precint. I did that because of her,” he said, jerking his head toward Chloe. I did it out of fairness. If I were to bring my partner coffee, it was only fair that I brought it for everyone. I treated you well-and you betrayed my partner, my BEST FRIEND-and in fairness, some days, my only friend. Ah, but,...no worries, my dear. I can forgive you, but your double-shot espresso with fudge dribble days are sadly over.”

“Detective Chloe Decker has been exceptionally kind to her colleagues, wouldn’t you say, Chief Landry? The way she treated Officer Turner is commonly how she treats most rookies and junior officers, yes? She offers them support and encouragement, takes them aside and points out where they could improve, if they’ve made a mistake. She’s helped them master that nightmare you call paperwork, and she’s more than willing to be a fresh pair of eyes for anyone working a case.”

“She’s finely attuned to officer-related misconduct-*cough*Palmetto Street*cough*, and has gone out of her way to report it, an action for which she was punished rather than rewarded.”

“If memory serves, these are requirements of an officer in the position of sargent, am I right, Landie? Did Det. Pearson exhibit any of these qualities, or did he actively participate in HAZING newcomers, hmmm?”

Chief Landry studied the surface of the table intensely. He was already mentally throwing away his retirement plans.

“You all are a disgrace, to this department, to the badge you wear, to all humanity.”

 _Damn_ , he thought to himself, _this Poirot chap is bloody brilliant_.

At that moment, Lucifer’s phone pinged, indicating that he had a text. “Please excuse me a minute, I have to read this.” Chuckling, Lucifer took the time to send a reply before turning his attention to Chief Landry once again.

“Dearie me, Landie, it seems that you have an extra load of paperwork to do on your last day as Chief. It seems that you’ve forgotten that bounty hunters are licensed through the state, not a specific city of employment, and that the BOLO on the vehicle that struck and severely injured Detective Decker’s daughter was also statewide.” Lucifer smirked, “Mazikeen Smith, whose employment YOU terminated at the request of Lt. Sharpe, located the vile miscreant and took him into custody. You’ll need to extradite him, however. He’s in Eureka, wherever-” he looked at Chloe, who pointed her finger up at the ceiling, indicating northern California.

Lucifer laughed, “Ohhhhh,...lovely.”

“Unless, of course, you’re going to ignore the entire thing, Landie. Hand it off to the next Chief. We’ll need to know soon, however. The press conference is going to begin shortly. We WILL need to know if you’re going to address this issue.”

“P-press conference?” Landry stuttered.

“Ah, yes,” said Lucifer, “It seems that in my extreme angst over what you did to my partner, I may have contacted several media outlets and informed them about what naughty little boys and girls you are.”

Chief Landry paled visibly, but Commissioner Gordon chuckled.

“Attorney Weaver, is there anything you wish to add before we conclude our meeting?” asked Lucifer.

“Just four words,” said the attorney, standing up and gathering his briefcase, “See. You. In. Court.” And with that, he walked out the door.

After a moment, Lucifer said, “Commissioner? Any parting words?”

“Yes, thank you, Lucifer,” he answered. “As most of you in the room are aware, our annual installation of the new slate of officers happens to be scheduled for tomorrow, at 10:00 hours in the Great Hall at City Hall.” Turning toward Det. Pearson, he said, “That’s the front lobby, in case you didn’t know, Pearson. Wouldn’t want you to get lost. All officers directly involved in the ceremony should report there at 0900 hours. SARGENT Decker, that includes you. Class A uniforms required, of course.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.” Chloe replied.

Lucifer had been watching Chloe and realized that at some point, she had stopped staring at her adversaries. What he saw instead was her beautiful smile-and something else. She was watching him with the same look of pride on her face that she wore that horrible night at the Mayan. She loved him, he knew that for a fact, but just as importantly, she was PROUD of him. All that work he had done, all those phone calls, all those favors he cashed in to get justice for her, it was worth it. SHE was worth it. And for her, he would do it again and again, just to make her proud.

Commissioner Gordon continued, “Family, friends, and fellow officers are welcome, as per our custom. It is most unfortunate, however, that some of the people in this room suddenly have prior commitments.”

“Sgt. Decker, shall we go throw a few key players under the bus? The press conference will be starting in a few minutes.”

The Commissioner offered Chloe his arm. As she took his arm, she looked at the table of officers one last time. One last stony stare for the people who had made her life Hell before she and the Commissioner met with the press.

Once the door closed behind them, and Lucifer was alone with the officers and the F.B.I. agents, he spoke with them again. Officer Turner was still quietly sobbing.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lucifer began, “what you have done is especially heinous. You have hurt and betrayed one of your own-one of the sweetest, kindest souls ever put on this planet. This SIN is unfathomable, and it was done in the commission of an even greater sin-greed. I just threw that in there in case some of you are pretending to be Catholic.”

“Now,” he continued, “your souls are in extreme jeopardy. You run the risk of eternal damnation, and that, of course, is entirely on you. But, all is not lost. As long as you live, you can reverse your inevitable fate. Turn your lives around. Redeem yourselves. It CAN be done; most recently a much loved attorney successfully redeemed herself and is currently residing in the Silver City-what is commonly referred to as Heaven.”

“You have the opportunity to do good. Be selfless, give of yourselves, help others. I promise you, you can undo the severe damage to your soul that your present actions caused, if you chose to do so.”

“However, if you choose to disregard what I’ve said, if you continue to choose unethical pursuits, hurt undeserving people, and go after ill-gotten gains, so be it. But, when you leave this earthly plane, be sure to tell the entity that greets you that, per Lucifer’s instructions,…” Lucifer leaned forward on the table, his eyes flaming red, “...per Lucifer’s instructions,...you’ve been pre-screened.”


End file.
